Once it celebrated Muhammad Ali Jinnah now it honours Subhash Chandra Bose

Subhash Marg, a busy bazaar street in Bikaner (Rajasthan, India), It leads northwest from the 16th century Kote Gate in the heart of the city and runs alongside a railway track.

In the past, this road had been named Jinnah Road in honour of the founder of Pakistan. Still known as Jinnah Road by many of its Muslim inhabitants, in 1967 it was given its new name (Subhash Marg). According to an article published in the Hindustan Times in 2016, neither Muhammed Ali Jinnah nor Subhash Chandra Bose ever visited Bikaner.

We ate an uninspired non-veg lunch at the Muslim run Simran Restaurant on the road. On the bill, its address was given as “Subhash Marg (Jinnah-Road)”, and that was 57 years after the street’s name was changed.

Street name changes are not uncommon in India, but usually the old names of a thoroughfare are remembered better than the often-forgotten new names